‘The Harlem Renaissance’ lecture

William Tortolano

A blend of visual and audio will be part of “The Harlem Renaissance” — a presentation in celebration of Black Culture Month in the Dion Student Center at Saint Michael’s College on Thursday, February 21, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. William Tortolano, professor emeritus of fine arts at the College, will draw upon a vivid recollection of the 1920s and 1930s, the great beginning of the African-American cultural rebirth of music, art, poetry, literature and many other manifestations.

The presenter will include music from the jazz era, symphonic music, folk songs and integration of not only African-American but white composers, like George Gershwin and Jerome Kern, who were inspired by this movement. The PowerPoint program includes scenes from Harlem and its poets, artists, authors and other great leaders.

Tortolano taught for 50 years at Saint Michael’s College. His academic degrees are from Boston University, The New England Conservatory of Music, and L’Université de Montréal. He is the author of two books on Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, African-English composer who was a seminal inspiration for the Harlem Renaissance.

The illustrated lecture is free and open to the public. The program is being presented by the Saint Michael’s College Center for Multicultural Affairs and Services.